Koseli School is a center for slum and street children situated in Kathmandu, Nepal. These children live outside of the mainstream society. Thus, their biggest need is survival. Koseli means “a gift” and the center offers them a gift of happy childhood and education.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

About 6 months ago we were planning to do some volunteering work in Nepal but we did not want to do it troughs any organizations, mostly because they charge so much. We were so happy when we found Koseli school's website and found that we can do our work in this wonderful place and for bonus it was totally free. We contacted the school and the response was straight away really kind and welcoming and it felt very natural to make a decision to work in this place.

We started our work after long holiday, Dashain, so first everything was very confusing for us and we think that maybe for everybody else too. Students and teachers were getting use to normal weeks again and school days were little bit different than usually, at least we see it that way after spending a month in the school. After few days we became more comfortable hanging around in the school, we were talking more and more with everybody and getting a hint and suggestions from the teachers what we can do with the students. Mostly we actually just played with the children and were helping them with the home works and sometimes we told some stories about our own country. But we think that the most important thing for the children was that we just kept them company, we kept encouraging them and maybe helped the school provide good memories for everyone and even for a bit more normal childhood. And maybe some of the children learned to speak a little bit better English because they had to use the language with us.

A few weeks after working in school we realized that even if our help is important and welcoming, this school need lot of support from private donors and most of the time the school is lack of money. We decided to tell about our job in Nepal and about the school in Facebook and try to collect some money. We thought that this place is doing such a great work so this is the least we can do. Maybe for future this is a good tip and the best thing is that everybody knows exactly were their money goes and it is straight for these kids.

Overall this experience was just insane good! These children were so kind and happy even for so little things, our home visit was very eyes opening and teachers are doing such a great and important job everyday! We are so thankfull for this opportunity, it was very instructive and all in all joyful and happy month! We hope all the best for the school and especially for every children who will stay in our heart for the rest of our lifes!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Hi! My name is Sejal and I am 22 years old and am a future dentist. It had always been a dream of mine to volunteer abroad in Nepal. I had a good six weeks to spend volunteering, but I wanted to make sure I was going through a trust worthy organization. After days of research, I realized I could not come to trust any NGO as they all seemed like money- making operations. This was when I happened to stumble upon the Koseli website. Finally something looked promising! The best part was that they didn’t want any money from their volunteers, but provided the option for volunteers if they wanted to give their own donation in the form of school supplies, clothes, or money.

After contacting Koseli and getting in touch with Neelam, I was convinced that I wanted my volunteering experience to be at Koseli. Before my volunteering began, I felt a mix of emotions; I was excited, energized, and optimistic, but at the same time I was scared and nervous. Would the students like me? Will the teachers accept me? Would I really be able to contribute to the betterment of these children’s lives? But it only took spending one day with the Koseli family to know I had made the right choice.

On the first day, I met Shambhavi who was nice and helpful and made me feel welcome. She introduced me to the other teachers who were also very kind, but slightly shy. The students were a whole different story! They were so excited to meet someone new and were extremely friendly and sweet. The children had just started their new term and were settling back into the school routine. So the first day I just spent time with the children by doing origami, charades, and playing football. The children were all excited to show off their talents to me as well as praise the talents of their fellow classmates.

After a couple days, a schedule was set in place. The children would arrive in the morning and begin their routine of showering, brushing, and dressing at school. They would then have their Nepali and Social Studies lesson and would then begin homework time. After homework time was lunch, which I was happily invited to join, and then English, Math, and Science. After Science would be about 15 minutes of meditation and then free time for the children before they went home at 5pm.

As exciting and gratifying teaching is, it is also a challenge. It was tough for me to teach initially as there was a language barrier. The kids spoke Nepali and little English, but I realized soon after that they were much better at understanding English rather than speaking it. However, I made sure to implement as much speaking practice as possible. I taught English, Math, and Science and discovered that the students learn better and gain teamwork skills by playing educational games. So while Science would be mostly lecture based, I would incorporate games into Math and English which kept the students engaged and eager to learn.

It was a pleasant surprise for me to see how intelligent the students are, despite the backgrounds they come from. I did not know what to expect when I started teaching and though I taught class four, I thought I might still have to start from scratch. However, I was shocked when they told me they knew addition, subtraction, long multiplication, and division. They knew what photosynthesis was and some students were even sincere in practicing their English. The best part about teaching was when I would accidently make a mistake on the board and the students would shout, “Maam, that’s wrong!” By the end of class time, if the students were on their best behavior, I would end class ten minutes early and play Bollywood music for them. The joy on their faces was priceless as they would all dance and fool around, and would even include me in their dancing.

What Koseli is doing for these children is beyond what words can describe. This school is giving students a chance to build a new life through care and education. The teachers all take their jobs seriously and want to see their students succeed in life. Exceptional students are even given the chance to be sponsored and attend a private school. Both Neelam and Shambhavi would ask my opinion on how to improve the curriculum and were proactive in implementing changes. This made me feel appreciated and like a part of the family.

As the days went by, I began to think of my class as “my kids,” and looked forward to seeing their smiling faces every day. As mischievous as they could be, they were also dedicated and respectful to their elders. On my last day, they all made me farewell cards. It was a small gesture which touched my heart and made me feel even sadder to be leaving. I am glad I went out of my comfort zone and explored a new part of the world and a new way of life. I met some amazing people at Koseli who are doing wonderful things to positively impact their community and I will be sure to return. This is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life and will be sharing with my family and friends for a long time to come.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Thank you for being
associated with Koseli and continuously supporting and nurturing the growth of
the children in Koseli.Koseli would not
have been where it is today without your support. We would like to share our
yearly events with you.

Introduction:
Koseli means “a gift” in Nepali.The aim
of “Koseli” is to reach out to under privileged children whose family can
barely afford one meal. Education, health, clothes and hygiene are in no
consideration of their need. Koseli provides the children, a clean environment
like that of any other school. The children are made to feel special while they
are in the premises of the school. Their basic health and hygiene needs are
taken care of; they are served a hot, wholesome meal in the afternoon and a
snack in the evening before they leave for home.

The
objective of education at Koseli is not to make these children literate but
give them the power to dream. At
Koseli, they follow the syllabus prescribed by the government of Nepal. There
is a special focus on improving their reading, writing and communication
skills. The children also learn computer skills in addition to performing arts
like dance, music and theatre. Another impressive thing is that each child is
being nurtured according to his/her interests and level of learning. Koseli School works from Sunday to Friday
throughout the year.

Koseli Family consists of 8 board members, 13 Staff members and 110 students and our numerous
supporters and donors.

We have children from age group for Nursery to
grade 6. After that we transfer our children to study in main stream school
with sponsorships. The highlights of the academic year 2013-14 are as follows:

Constructions: This year we have added another room to accommodate the growing
number of children in school. The school has also extended the height of its
boundary wall by two feet wire mesh to enable the kids play football without
worrying about losing the ball. The teachers and elder students painted the
walls of the school for a cleaner and refreshing look.

A beautiful reading room, called “The Kachhua
Club” has also been added to the school. This room is donated by a British
Non-Profit organization run by Mr. John Mathews, “The Children of the
Mountain”.

We extend our deep gratitude to him.

Events: Like every year, we
celebrated Dashain, Tihar, Christmas, Sarawati Puja and Holi in school with
much fan fare.An annual school carnival
was organized for the children. The carnival is a much awaited event with
swings, games, magic show and face painting. The students participated
enthusiastically in all the events and presented songs and dances. All the
events received support from Koseli supporters.

A fund raising FUN-MELA was organized by a
school member, Ms. Sanjana Agarwal for a child’s treatment.
Menuka, 14, has problem in the veins of her leg and the fund collected from the
Carnival is being used for her treatment. The carnival was a fun filled event
in which the students had a blast. It also helped in spreading a word about
Koseli in the society and added new support members to our growing family.

This year, we celebrated Holi with a cultural program performances by
students, followed by a ice creams sponsored by Pulkit Bhimsaria and a hearty
feast thereafter. The whole program was aired on Himalayan TV. Thanks to Dayaramji
Agarwal to give a chance to Koseli Foundation to come in lime light of the
general public. This program can be viewed on YouTube, “Apno Nepal, Apno Gaurab,”
episode 132.

Introduction to living life beyond- Meditation and mindfulness: We are proud to announce that Koseli children
have been following a rigorous mindfulness routine. This routine is introduced
and run by Supathya-Learning to Care, a Kathmandu based Non-Profit run by Ms.
Jun Maya Pandey & Sirish Bhatt. The routine focuses on spiritual
development of the child. As part of this routine, the children meditate
regularly for twenty minutes a day and write a gratitude journal. This has now
become a part of school curriculum.

Achievements: Chandra
Tamang Studied at Koseli for 5 years and
now completed his training from A-La-Carte and is working as an assistant chef.

Likewise, Dilmaya, 16 years old, too was a
student for 4 years at Koseli and now she is towards completion of her training
as a beautician. Dilmaya is the bread earner of her family and thus was very
keen on doing a vocational course so that she could start supporting her family
financially as soon as possible. She has been enrolled into a beauty training
school, where she has 5 hours of training everyday.

Based on their excellence, 6 Students from
Koseli have been sent to other main stream schools.

Over the years, 23 students have been sent to
join in the various main stream schools on basis of their academic excellence/
progress.

Targets & Issues:

1. Restroom Problem: The restroom at Koseli is
not connected to main sewage outlet, hence, get clogged every few months, and
we hire people to clear them manually. We intend to re build the toilets and
find a solution to not go through this expensive and tedious task each time.

Menuka has malformation of the veins and
abnormal growth of tissues on her leg.

-Raj and parbati also suffering some physical
problem.

Koseli Foundation takes care of all the
treatment and medication required for all the students.

Each month, we pay 8-10 thousand for medicine
expenses.

3.Stationary:-We
need text book for class Ukg fornew
session. Every month we have expenses worth 22-28 thousand for stationary item.

4.
Deficit: Koseli is facing a deficit of Rs. 1 Lac each month. To overcome this
problem, Koseli Foundation is organizing a charity show, a play by Anupam Kher
in near future.

Volunteers

We have about 12 Volunteers from St. Xaviers College, Reliance College,
Thames College and Mega College coming to Koseli on different days. They share
their knowledge and dreams with children, which definitely add a new energy to
the daily routine of the school.

We have various volunteers visiting from overseas who run some
wonderful programs and workshops for Koseli Family.

We extended our gratitude to Emily Larsonfor doing a workshop on “Positive
Mindfulness” for the Koseli Staff and Mr. Odin and Ms.Holly, who conducted sex awareness
program for students.

Suchprogramsare highly beneficial for the growth and
development of the children.

We welcome your ideas
and suggestions on fund raising and benefits of Koseli.